From MicroJustice

Contents 1 Project Goals 2 Conditions 3 Project Contract 3.1 Roles and Expectations 3.2 Commitments 3.3 When do we/you consider it to be a success? 3.4 What are risks of failure? 4 Practicalities 4.1 Meetings/Communication 4.2 Planning and timing 5 Project documents 5.1 Circle Principles 5.2 Literature 6 Thesis Research Questions 6.1 Modularity 6.2 Collective Knowledge Sharing in Cross Functional Teams 6.3 Improving Property Rights Protection 6.4 Institutional Entrepreneurs 6.5 Links of Microjustice with Existing system 6.6 Microjustice Program Business Plan & Microjustice Facilitators Business Case 7 Blogs 8 Tips and tricks

[edit] Project Goals

• Joint writing of master thesis
• Product Development with Base of the Pyramid Protocol
• Developing Microjustice products and service/distribution system
• Learning across and within disciplines
• Empowering the poorest of the poor/improving livelihoods
• Cooperation
• Unforgettable experiences

[edit] Conditions

• Funding
• Setting in the field
• Possible/preferred research questions for thesis
• Joint thesis writing method (circle) in department Organization Studies

[edit] Project Contract

[edit] Roles and Expectations

During the BOP student meetings, the students will lead the process: chair meetings; do the reporting about the meetings, see Circle Principles.

For MJ Bolivia, research is a tool to help it to achieve the goals of the organization: product development, development of a distribution system, and actually serving clients. Thesis projects are a way to access useful information, get assistance with developing the organization, and obtain positive and realistic feed-back from outside observers.

For students, the research is an opportunity to apply their skills and knowledge, to write a thesis in an innovative environment, to gain experience in working in an organization, and to matter to people. Moreover, the experience of working in a developing economy is challenging and valuable.

[edit] Commitments

The following contract has been developed for the relationship between Microjustice Bolivia and the BOP students:

• Motivation is essential. Doing research and working in a country like Bolivia is very challenging and the MJ Bolivia team is working under many pressures. If a student has hesitations about his/her motivation, these should be discussed. Hesitations and doubts for such a venture are normal. But at some stage the student should feel sure that this is what he or she really wants.
• The student has to submit his/her research plan to MJ Bolivia (Patricia/Anaelba) in non-technical language (understandable for the members of MJ Bolivia team), making clear what the added value to MJ Bolivia will be.
• MJ Bolivia will let the student know (after discussing the plan through Skype) whether this plan is expected to lead to information and feed-back that is useful to MJ Bolivia.
• The student will devote a substantial part of his time to do the research (indication: half to two/thirds)
• But the student is also available for doing work for MJ Bolivia, linked to the topic of his/her thesis. This work, and the amount of hours per week expected, will be determined by MJ Bolivia after consultation with the student.
• The MJ Initiative, or the MJ Research Program, will support the students with a grant (of 2000€ in principle), provided that the student submits a workplan that is approved by his/her thesis coach, and the MJ Research Program.
• The student has the responsibility to master the Spanish language sufficiently. This will be tested in a conversation with Anaelba or other members of the MJ Bolivia team. If the mastery of the Spanish language is insufficient, the student will take additional lessons. It is recommended that the student takes Skype lessons from Bolivia, because this enables him/her to learn the 'language of the project'.
• The student will work in a way that minimally disturbs the MJ Bolivia operation. This is not only a matter of minimizing the time required from the MJ Bolivia management and personnel. The student has to be aware that being the subject of investigations can be a pleasure as well as a burden. Questions have effects on people, and may influence their motivation.
• MJ Bolivia and the student are aware that good research and objectivity go together. Sometimes this requires that the reasons for asking certain questions are not disclosed, until the results are presented.
• The student will give the MJ Bolivia management and personnel information about the progress of the research and about the possible results/insights/recommendations. Usually this will be done half way the stay, once again at the end of the stay, and as soon as the results are available in written form.

[edit] When do we/you consider it to be a success?

To be decided

[edit] What are risks of failure?

Microjustice Bolivia should not become a travel agent.

[edit] Practicalities

[edit] Meetings/Communication

• Regular meetings/next meeting will take place on Thursday April 17th, 12.45 - 14.30 hours in PZ102; from then on every two weeks on Thursday at this time

Agenda for January 31 meeting:

1. One page proposals of students
2. Research questions
3. Planning and timing
4. Vaccinations (Guido)

Agenda for February 21 meeting, again 12.45 - 14.30 hours in P 1.138:

1. Meeting procedure (Who chairs the meeting? Reporting the results of the meeting
2. Discussion research plans
3. Communication tools. Is it Ok to use the wiki as the way to keep each other posted?
4. Other
5. Other

Next meetings from Thursday February 21 every two weeks on.

NOTES for April 17th meeting 12:45-14:30. In short we will put down some things we have discussed in this meeting. Feel free to fill in.

1. We discussed the matter of the lawyer working for microjustice in Bolivia, and his position with regard to the minimum fee required for certain cases. This should not be a problem, since Microjustice in a non-profit organisation.
2. Duarte said it is still very important to create a business model/case for the organisation in Boliva. People still have to be found who are willing to do this task (work package).
3. Patricia will be back on the 26th of april in the Netherlands. It is wise to plan the next meeting on a moment where she can be present.
4. There is still doubt about the funding with regard to buying air tickets. Which costs are paid for by microjustce that the students will make and can we buy an air ticket by ourselves and ask the money back from Microjustice?
5. Thijs has informed at the languge department of the university about the spannish lessons. At this moment the can not offer us a full course but they can offer us an emergency course of three days, which is more than nothing.
6. Maurits and Guido had a conversation with Janine Ubink about the situation in Ghana with regard to the transactions of ground. During the meeting it also became clear that Chiefs have a very important position in Ghana and customary law is the law adopted by judges in official procedures as well. The same situation might occur in Bolivia as well.
7. Norms & processes within Microjustice... (fill in)

[edit] Planning and timing

Each of the students will put on this wiki a plan for his/her contribution with:

• preferred time schedule for working on thesis (in weeks);
• availability for working in Bolivia;
• suggested research question for thesis;
• methodology: what is the way in which this research question can be answered?
• a list of the persons he or she needs to interview in order to obtain the information he needs for answering the question;

[edit] Project documents

[edit] Circle Principles

These are the guidelines for the cooperation process within the Circle: Circle Principles.

[edit] Literature

Here, you find some links to interesting articles. To download the papers from www.ssrn.com, it may be necessary to subscribe. This is free and not too much of a hassle. Furthermore, this website offers many very interesting research papers.

• W.M. Landes and R.A. Posner, Adjudication as a private good

This article is very instructive, not only for lawyers, but also for the rest of the project members. The authors discuss what may happen when there would be no State monopoly on legal norms and procedures, but adjudication instead is left to the free market. It examines from an economic standpoint the operation of private judicial systems and discusses many alternatives for safeguarding fundamental issues like neutrality, enforcement, legal certainty, etc in a competitive setting.

• J.M. Barendrecht, J. Mulder and I. Giesen, How to measure the price and quality of access to justice?

In this article, which presents the first results of a project aimed at developing tools for measuring access to justice, the authors explore how the price and quality of access to justice can be determined. They identify the issues that have to be resolved, and select a number of options to deal with these issues. Furthermore, they explore some of the difficulties that will arise during the development of an actual measurement framework. Information about the current status of this project and backgroundinformation can be found here: Projectwebsite Measuring Access to Justice

• S. Golub, Beyond the Rule of Law orthodoxy: the legal empowerment alternative This article was one of the first to discuss a bottom up alternative for top down, state centered approaches to Rule of Law and Access to Justice.

[edit] Thesis Research Questions

The following are the research issues that each of the students will consider. For those that have not yet chosen, there is also a list of possibly interesting Issues for Research for students, researchers, and research institutions.

[edit] Modularity

Organization of the products in modules. The problem of developing products in optimal parts/components and the solutions to it. Criteria: Accessibility, Efficiency

• Erik Vosselman e.vosselman@uvt.nl
• Logistics and Operations Management - Economic faculty

For more information on this project see Modularity

[edit] Collective Knowledge Sharing in Cross Functional Teams

Which factors enhance collective knowledge sharing in cross functional team? In the opening up phase? This an information collection issue. Will interview teammembers. Observe group. Contribution to the project: how create teams? Needs assessment, participant observation Start of in March, stay as long as possible Details:

• Duarte Silveira dsilvex@hotmail.com
• Psychology / Organisations studies
• Will stay from 15/25 March until 1/10 May

See Project Description on Collective Knowledge Sharing in Cross Functional Teams

[edit] Improving Property Rights Protection

Last opdate, juli 31st 2008. Theoretical framework content finished.

Protection of property is very important, and often the base for any economic growth (no property, no mortgage/loan). What are the threats to the property of Bolivians? What is their property? How do they protect it? How can they be protected better? These are all questions along many others that I want to answer before and during my stay in Bolivia. If you would like to know more about my research, click this link: Improving Property Rights Protection. Protocals regarding General needs and capabilities assessments can be found on this page: Questionnaire Protocols. Work on my theoretical framework content is finished.

• Guido van Dijke g.w.j.vandijke@uvt.nl
• Dutch law, accent government law.
• Time abroad: 20th of August until 18th of december. Working on thesis in september and oktober.
• Skype address: guido.van.dijke
• Blog: guidovandijke.waarbenjij.nu
• Phone: +31648455237

[edit] Institutional Entrepreneurs

Researching the institutional entrepreneurs that are trying to build up a new institution. The path to the moment that there is a new institution. How do they get people involved? Details on background and staÿ:

• Noor van den Berg N.C.vdnBerg@uvt.nl
• Organisation Studies Social Faculty
• 2 months in the period from ranging from end of March until end of september

[edit] Links of Microjustice with Existing system

• Access to justice in court system
• Supplementary legal aid scheme/Subsidies (this may an interesting issue if vouchers are considered as a tool to make access to justice/microjustice available to more people)

Will probably not be real master thesis Details on background and staÿ:

• Evi Pouwelse e.r.pouwelse@uvt.nl
• Dutch law, accent on private law Law faculty
• 1 September until 31 October

See for more information Supplementary Legal Aid Scheme.

[edit] Microjustice Program Business Plan & Microjustice Facilitators Business Case

• Panagiotis Tsatsos P.Tsatsos@uvt.nl & Mark Overdevest M.R.Overdevest@uvt.nl
• Strategic Management / Economic Faculty
• Time abroad: departure in the second week of august and we will stay for at least 2 months.

See project description Business case for Facilitators

• See chapter 1 of Networks

[edit] Blogs

Dear all, going abroad? Make sure you write something about your research in Bolivia in this section. Create a hyperlink to you own blog, or create a hyperlink to your personal page in this wiki where you write or copy/paste your blog. This way, students that follow behind you know a bit better what they are up to!

[edit] Tips and tricks

This section is ment for students and others participating in the microjustice circle. Experiences of others can be very helpful in continuate this project. In this part very handful tips and tricks will be mentioned.